SEEKING, TRUSTING AND OBEYING OUR LORD
SEEKING, TRUSTING AND OBEYING OUR LORD
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” ” Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” —Jeremiah 1:5-8
Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. —Jeremiah 2:12-13
And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. —Jeremiah 3:15
Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God. —Jeremiah 3:25
As it was true of Jeremiah, so it is true of us— “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Not that we are appointed as a prophet as Jeremiah was, but we are surely appointed to be a witness and disciple-maker wherever we are in this world (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:16-20). When Jeremiah said that he couldn’t speak, that he was only a youth, God said, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” He says the same to us and has directed us and said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
The question is— “Are we being obedient?” Or, like in Jeremiah’s day, have we “committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Are we seeking to be satisfied and quench our thirst with some other “god” instead of being obedient to the Lord God Almighty? Seeking satisfaction with “gods” other that our Lord God Almighty will only lead to emptiness, no matter how much we seek to fill the cracked void.
Instead, we are to come to Him, and to those who are serving Him, to glean knowledge and understanding. Not only are we to know, but we need to understand how to apply what we know. We need to be around shepherds that are encouraging people in that manner, not around those who are giving just knowledge without understanding. Are you around those types of people? It is so important to network with them— these shepherds after God’s own heart!
And, yes, Dear Father, help me to be with these people that have a heart for what You desire as they share knowledge and understanding of how to apply that knowledge. Oh, that I would be one of those faithful shepherds as well by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus. All this for Your honor and glory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdWt_xVZxak